Pokemon Sword and Shield are conducting a special Max Raid event focused on Lightning- and Grass- type Pokemon. The promotion, which runs until September 30th, will let players add some valuable Gigantamax-capable Pokemon to their collections.
Pokemon Sword and Shield allow players to team up in groups of four and face super-powered Max Raid Bosses. Even for players who have already completed the Pokedex, Max Raid Bosses are worthwhile. Pokemon caught in this way are more likely to have good stats, Hidden Abilities, and be capable of accessing Gigantamax forms, if applicable. Admittedly, players can also raise stats via Hyper Training and enable access to Gigantamax via Max Soup, but a lucky Max Raid catch makes these extra steps unnecessary.
The new event features the following Grass and Electric Dynamax Pokemon: Ferroseed, Ferrothorn, Gossifleur, Eldegoss, Helioptile, Heliosk, Yamper, and Boltund. Players can also capture the Gigantamax forms of Toxtricity, Appletun, and Flapple, as well as the pre-evolutions Toxel and Applin. Applin is easy to catch but evolves strangely, so having a chance to capture its evolutions directly may come in handy for players looking to augment their collection.
Both Toxtricity and the Appletun/Flapple line have a gimmick tied to their Gigantamax forms. Toxtricity has two forms, a Low Key form and an Amped form. In addition to a few unique moves, only the Low Key form can access the ability Minus, while the Amped form can access the ability Plus. The two forms look the same in Gigantamax form, and both have access to the same G-Max move, G-Max Stun Shock. As for Appletun and Flapple, the two share the same Gigantamax appearance, although each has access to a different G-Max move: G-Max Tartness for Flapple, and G-Max Sweetness for Appletun.
Some players may be disappointed that Appletun and Flapple share a Gigantamax form, as this will make distinguishing between their silhouettes impossible. This could result in a situation where someone has an Appletun and wants a Flapple, only to discover that they have joined a party facing an Appletun. Additionally, if Pokemon Sword and Shield bring back Mega Evolutions as rumored, this promotion's Pokemon will not benefit, as none of them can Mega Evolve.
Still, the frequent rotation of Max Raid promotions gives more players access to more Pokemon, which can lead to more diverse competitive team-building. Given that Game Freak banned many competitive Pokemon in current online competitive battles, many Trainers are itching to find new Pokemon that are not impacted by the ban.
Pokemon Sword and Shield are available now for the Nintendo Switch.
Source: GameSpot